This invention relates to a process for the production of a flavouring agent in which a mixture containing a source of free amino acids and at least one reducing sugar is reacted.
A traditional method of preparing a source of free amino acids which lends itself to the production of a flavouring agent by reaction with a reducing sugar, i.e. by Maillard reaction, is based on the hydrolysis with concentrated hydrochloric acid of a material rich in proteins, such as peanut or soya cake for example.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,986 (Nestec S. A.) describes a process of this type in which the hydrolyzate is subjected to fractionation in a column of granular active carbon, and by selecting or calibrating the fractions, it is possible to obtain a clear neutral-tasting amino acid source which does not mask the aroma subsequently released during the Maillard reaction.
However, in more recent processes, it has been preferred to use a milder form of hydrolysis than the traditional hydrolysis with concentrated hydrochloric acid, more particularly enzymatic hydrolysis. One problem to be solved with processes such as these lies in the bitterness or the particular taste which the hydrolyzates can have.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,757 (Nestec S. A.), for example, describes a process for the production of a flavouring agent in which an aqueous suspension of a protein-rich material, such as a pulse flour for example, is hydrolyzed with a protease and then ripened or refined with koji enzymes.